Mother Hood
by Ilovenateriver
Summary: Five years ago Stephanie Plum had a baby in secret. With her daughter now back in her life will she me able to become the mother she never wanted to be?
1. Chapter 1

_**Mother Hood**_

_**Five years ago Stephanie Plum had a baby in secret. With her daughter now back in her life will she me able to become the mother she never wanted to be? **_

Stephanie

I am sitting at the police station not believing what they are tell me, I hid it so well, no one knew, only my mother, Lula, Connie and Grandma Mazur, and it is still hard for me to believe they manage to Kopp their mouths shut about it.

My name is Stephanie Plum, I work as a bounty hunter for my cousin Vinnie. My life consist of getting shot at, stalked and people always seem to want to kill me.

Five years ago, I was taking a break from the two men in my life, Joe Morelli, a incredibly hot cop who has moments he wants to marry me, and Ranger, he is a mystery, I know a little bit about him but he has a past, plus marriage is something he will never do, not that it is a deal breaker for me.

I had a one night stand with a man just passing through town, I didn't even know his name, I barley remember what he looks like but he finally did the impossible, he got me pregnant, now being a mother is not something I have ever wanted, I fought with my mother about it but I gave the baby up, I made sure it was placed with the perfect family, I didn't even know the baby's gender, but I was just told that the prefect parents are dead, died in a car crash, and in their will they specified that the child should go back to the biological mother, me.

"I don't know what to do"

I admitted to a cop that I do not know, he smiled

"would you like me to get your daughter"

I nod, well now I know what I had, somehow I knew it was a girl, maybe I do have a maternal bone in my body after all. A part of me did want to keep her but I knew I couldn't, she deserved so much better then me, I sigh, word probably has gotten to Morelli by now, we just ended our relationship last night, we were fighting about bread that turned into a fight about everything,

"Gabriella, this is your mother Stephanie" said an older lady hold the four year olds hand,

she looks like me, she has my nose, she has long dark brown hair that goes to her butt, perfect ivory skin and green eyes, she is small for a four year old.

"hi" she smiled at me,

I wave and try to force a smile, I can be so selfish, I am only thinking about myself and her parents are dead, I sigh and walk over to them,

"here is her bag"

she handed me a backpack

"okay"

I say, the little girl let go of the woman hand and held out her, I took it and walked out,

"beautiful girl" said Eddie,

Eddie is married to my cousin Shirley the whiner and is one of my best friends, he kneels down

"hello"

he rubs her hair,

"you look like your mommy"

I sucked in some air, I gave her up so I wouldn't be called mommy, I always assumed it was my catholic upbringing that made me feel even more guilty about giving her up,

"thank you"

she giggles when he tickles her, he gets up

"good luck"

he squeezed my shoulder and went back to work, we walked out of the police station to see my mother pacing, she looks over to us,

"your grandmother wanted to come as well but I thought it was better that I picked you up"

she looked down at Gabriella,

"what's your name" she asked

"Gabriella" she replied,

my mother picked her up

"everything is okay you are going to come live with grandma"

she started walking to her car, I sigh, on one hand I know it will be easier if she loves with my parents, I can always go see her, I can keep my job and my life style. We drove in silence, until we saw Grandma Mazur sitting in the middle of the road

"I want to see her" she said excited,

"mother go on the sidewalk then you can see her"

she nods and walks over, I can see some people looking out their windows, my mother takes Gabriella from the car

"your father is out driving the cab" she said walking in,

"she's so pretty" Grandma said looking at her more

"this has got to be the most beautiful child I have ever seen, she got her looks from my side of the family"

she smiled, I agree that Gabriella is the most beautiful child I have ever seen, it is so weird to think its because I am her mother, I am average looking and she looks angelic, I feel my phone ring and I frown when I see who it is, Morelli

"I have to take this, I will be right back" I say to them,

they are probably going to feed her a bunch of cookies

"hello" I say into my phone

"my mother just called and told me you have a child"

I sigh

"it's a long story"

he remains silent

"it isn't Rangers is it"

I could have laughed, Ranger already has one child, he vowed never to make that mistake again

"of course not, I was drunk, I don't even remember what he looked like"

but I think Gabriella must get her ivory skin and green eyes from him,

"why didn't you tell me" he almost yelled

"because as soon as I found out I knew what I was going to do, I didn't want anyone to know, luckily I didn't even have a bump at all"

I was so thankful for that, though I was worried about how she was doing in their

"now what?" he asked,

I have no idea, I could be a mother, get a stable job, get a bigger apartment, raise her myself, though the idea of that scares me,

"for now she is going to live with my mother"

I can hear him sigh

"why not just put her back up for adoption?"

I hung up on him at that comment, though it did cross my mind, but I know the older you are the harder it is to get adopted, I sigh and head back into the house, as I thought they were sitting around eating cookies while my mother was preparing lunch

"so Gabriella can stay here for a little bit?" I ask my mother

"of course she is family"

she is making grilled cheese

"Gabriella are you allergic to anything?" asked my mother

"just olives" she said,

poor kid, first her parents die and now I know she cannot eat my favorite thing,

"alright here is a grilled cheese"

she put in front of her

"thank you"

she smiled and dug in, and I waited for mine, we all sat down and ate our sandwiches in silence I got up

"I have to get back to work"

Gabriella ran over to me

"can I have a hug?" she asked,

she was giving a look that made my heart melt, I picked her up and hugged her, she's so small, but she is warm,

"just one second" said my mother getting up and getting a camera,

the kind that spit out the photo,

"I didn't know they still made those" I said to my mother

"smile, I am sure your friends would love to see a picture of her"

I smiled and she leaned into my face smiling, the picture came out

"here you are" she said waving it,

"I am going to have to take her shopping for some new clothes"

I look at her outfit, a white blouse, brown skirt with white leggings and a pair of brown Uggs, she was dressed a lot better then me, I am wearing jeans,t-shrit and sneakers

"they must have been loaded to afford named brand" said Grandma,

my mother sighed, I put Gabriella down,

"I will see you later"

I touch her hair, it's a little wavy but mainly straight, it feels so soft, I leave after saying good bye to my mother, I sigh as I start up my pos car, and drive to the bonds office, Lula was already outside waiting for me,

"is it true" she asked,

Lula is a 200 pound proud black woman, who likes to squeeze into small spandex outfits, she is now a bounty hunter in training, though we catch our FTAs mainly thanks to luck.

"yep I left her with my mom"

She waved her hands in the air,

"are you going to keep her? I better be the godmother or at least auntie Lula" she said smiling

I took the photo out of my pocket,

"here's a picture we took"

She took it and we walked into the office,

"hey" I said to Connie

Connie is the office manager, she is a few years older than me, and is a lot more Italian then I am,

"this is the most beautiful baby I have ever seen" said Lula

"her father must have been smoking" she added

I sighed, I wish I never had a one night stand, it just wasn't me, but I feel even worse for Gabriella, I never got to know or care about her, I just never wanted children, now I have one that my mother will probably more then willing to raise if I asked her too, she offered before when I was still pregnant but I didn't want anyone to know about her so I was against it but now everything has changed

"let me see" said Connie

She looked at the photo then back to me

"she has your nose" she said

I nodded and sat down

"thanks" I smile at her

Lula went back to look at the photo

"what's her name?" asked Connie

"Gabriella" I answered

I am not really a fan of that name, I would have named her something stupid though just to upset my mother.

"I like it" said Lula

Connie nodded

"she looks perfect"

Great I know I can't handle a normal child let alone a perfect one.

"any mew FTAs?" I asked

Connie shook her head

"been a slow week, seems like no one skipped bail"

I sighed, I am a little bit low on rent money, I really needed to steady job, I feel my phone ringing, Morelli again, I snapped my phone open

"can I help you" I put as much venom as I possibly could

"I'm sorry I was just upset that you didn't tell me"

I know he didn't mean what he said, but maybe he did have a point, Gabriella deserves the best parents possible, and I am not mother material, but it makes me feel a little sad to give her up again, at least if she is with my mother I can see her whenever I wanted too.

"I was afraid, I just thought if I pretended she didn't exist then my life would be normal"

"she?" he asked

I guess he didn't hear the gender of my out of wedlock baby

"yes her name is Gabriella"

"cute" he said

"I wasn't the one who named her, I didn't even know what I had before now"

"can I meet her?"

Morelli loves kids, no matter who they belonged too, I know if I told him about Gabriella, he would have stayed and helped me raise her, the problem is that I don't know if that's what I want, I am in love with two very different men,

"sure"

It wouldn't hurt if he at least met her, she is going to need all the help she can get adjusting to life in the burg.

"everyone been telling me how she is the most beautiful child ever"

He laughed

"if she looks anything like you she is"

I sighed

"I thought you were mad at me?" I asked

"not anymore, I am upset you didn't tell me but you had your reasons"

I smile, that's why I love him

"thanks but are you sure you want to meet her, people will talk"

He laughed

"people are already taking, Stephanie Plum, mother, it is making breaking news"

I know that is true, my whole family manage to keep it a secret, now the whole burg knows,

"I knew this would happen"

He chuckles

"how about you bring the little one over for dinner?"

My mother wouldn't be happy about that but I am willing to do it,

"if I can pry her out of my mothers hands"

He laughed

"see you later cupcake"

I hang up, I forgot why we even broke up, he is so stable and caring, even has a house and a dog named Bob, maybe I am crazy for not jumping at the chance to marry him but whenever I think about my mind shifts to Ranger, I walk back into the bonds office.

"Morelli?" asked Connie

I nodded

"Mr fine as cop better be okay with my little god child" said Lula

"he seems to be"

She nods

"good now when do I get to see my baby?"

I sigh and called my mother, she hasn't left to Gabriella shipping so Lula and I, or mainly Lula agreed to do it.

"we have to go get my mothers car, she thinks mine is a death trap" I said to Lula

"damn Skippy your not putting my god baby in that car"

I rolled my eyes at her, fifteen minutes later I was back at my parents house, grandma and Gabriella are sitting on the porch, Gabriella looks happy,

"my baby" called Lula running up to her,

She managed to give her a big bear hug

"hello baby, now you can either call me auntie Lula or godmama Lula the choice is yours"

She said shifting Gabriella to her hip,

"auntie Lula?" Gabriella questioned

"what a smart baby you are, I can see your graduating from one of those fancy schools"

I sigh, I cannot afford a fancy school.

"I know I am smart, ask me anything" she said with confidence

"okay smarty pants, whats 258*150" asked Grandma

"38700" she responded

I laugh

"that can't be right"

Lula out her done and took out her phone

"okay baby what is 15000/89" said Lula

I laughed, there is no way she could answer that, we could never do that.

"168.54" said Gabriella

Lula looked at me, looking freaked out,

"looks like we got a Rain man in the family" said Grandma

"175.25*452" said Lula

I was hoping she got that answer by luck

"79213"

Lula nodded to me, oh crap

"how did you know that?" I asked her

"its just basic math, that stuff is easy compared to what we do at school"

What kind of school did she go to? One to make little robots who can do math

"I went to a special school, they agreed to let me come in a year early but I guess I will be going to normal school now" she said looking down at her feet

So now I have a special child to deal with

"last time I was tested they said I have an IQ of 180"

We all remained silent, so I have a child who is not only beautiful but intelligent,

"lets go shopping all this math talk is making me want to go shoe shopping" said Lula, picking up my genius daughter,

We drive to the mall in silence

Grandma is in the back asking Gabriella questioned about the couple who adopted her, The Millar's, I remember their application, the wife was a cooperate lawyer, and the father was a plastic sergan, I sigh as we arrive at the mall,

"now remember to stay with me baby there are shady people in this place" said Lula taking her hand, she is right though, I have captured a few people from this mall,

"lets shop" I say as we enter a child's clothing store

"hello" said a sales lady,

"what are we looking for?" she asked

"just anything she likes" I say to the woman

"I have a few ideas" she said leading us to different racks

She picked out a few pairs of skinny jeans, plain t-shirts in pink, while and black, new a plaid blouse, Gabriella also tried on a couple of dresses she said that were perfect for her, I smile, as I pay, having a child is expensive.

"babe"

I turn around in the parking lot to see the other man in my life, Ranger, he is part owner of a company called Rangemen, he has mocha skin and the most beautiful body, as if it was hand crafted by the gods. I smile at him,

"hello"

He looks down at the small child next to me, luckily grandma and Lula are still in the mall, waiting for us to drive to the front to pick them up,

"what's your name?" he asks

"Gabriella" she replied

"I'm Ranger" he said in his normal bored tone but I could see he was surprised by her, Gabriella looked up at me, I smiled down at her

"he a friend" I say to ensure her

"yes, I have known your mother for years" he kneels down to her level

"you look like her" he stroked her hair

This is surprising, I was expecting this kind of behavior from Joe not Ranger, I thought he didn't want children.

"I don't want children doesn't mean I do not like them babe" he said as if reading my mind,

"Stephanie" called Gabriella

"yes darling" I ask

"can I marry him" she asks touching his face

I burst out laughing, Ranger gives her a 200 watt smile

"you're a little young for me, but I honored that you asked" he replied picking her up to hug her

"always the heart breaker" I tease him

He gives me a lool and puts her back down

"I will see you both later" he gently kisses my lips and disappears

"lets go get auntie and grandma" said Gabriella

I laugh and get back into my car, you never know what to expect from Ranger


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hey readers thank you for all the support so far with this story**_

_**To answer some questions**_

_**Yes this story is going to be Babe. I just forgot to put that in the description.**_

_**Gabriella is not going to be Autistic she is just an extremely gifted child so she will have her own struggles along the way.**_

_**As to whom her father is it will be announced later on **___

Ranger

"so what are the details" asked Tank

I just got back to my office, and he is already asking questions, I just connote believe I did not know babe had a child, though she is a very beautiful child

"she didn't want anyone to know, she doesn't remember the father and the childs name is Gabriella" he nodded

"we ran the background check into her adopted parents just like you asked, the wife was prefect, very successful but the husband not so much, a few DUI, a domestic dispute, all settled out of court, other then that they were model parents, according to the information we found Gabriella is a gifted child, IQ of 180, her teachers reported that she was not following the rules in the chemistry lab though, she liked to experiment"

I nodded,

"she asked Stephanie if she could marry me"

He barked laughing

"not surprised woman of every age love you"

I give him an eye roll

"so what now? Is she going to become a domestic goddess?"

I chuckle at the idea, babe is not like that, she would die of boredom but now she does have a child, I don't honestly know what I would do if I had to take care of Julie myself, though we have been getting closure since she was kidnapped.

"you know her as well as I do, she will keep on doing whatever she wants" I reply

He smiles

"well good luck with that"

"I need you to do me a favor"

he raise an eyebrow

"you don't ask for favors so this has got to be good"

"I would do this myself but I have some important meetings can you look up schools for gifted children? none too far of course"

He nodded

"we all love Stephanie so we will help her out in any way"

If I know babe she is probably extremely scared right now and not thinking about what a gifted child needs.

"if she is truly that intelligent putting her in a normal school will do nothing but dull her mind"

He smiled

"aw wouldn't want the future Mrs Carlos Manoso to be dull"

"why are you still here?"

He laughed and left my office , I roll my eyes and get back to work.


	3. Chapter 3

Stephanie

"there you are all settled in" my mother says putting Gabriella's clothes away in my old room

"mom I'm going to take her out for dinner"

my mother looks up

"but I thought she should spend her first dinner here with the family"

"Gabriella go watch TV with grandpa"

she nodded and left

"she shouldn't be walking down the stairs by herself she is so little"

I roll my eyes

"mom relax she is going to be fine"

"remember when you were little and you jumped off the roof trying to fly"

I sigh

"mom relax I am just going to take her to have dinner with Joe"

she sighed

"are sure that is a good idea?"

"well she is part of my life and so is he mom"

"fine I know your sister wanted to meet her though"

"she's living here she will meet her"

"alright"

I go downstairs

"Gabriella we are going to see my"

I stop to think how I should introduce Joe to her

"friend"

"Ranger?" she asked excited

"nope his name is Joe"

she pouted

"okay"

I hope she doesn't mention Ranger in front of Joe. I am really not in the mood for a fight.

"Stephanie are you ready"

she already has her coat and boots on

"yep I'm coming"

we leave moms house. I put her in the back seat of my car.

"so how do you like it here so far" I say starting the car

"its okay"

we drive in silence to Joe's house, looks like he is not home

"are you afraid of dogs?"

I should have asked that earlier

"no"

"good because Joe has a big shaggy dog named Bob"

"what kind of dog name is Bob?"

"I think its cute" I say getting her out of the car.

"come on"

she looked at the house

"can we go home?" she said backing up from the house

"why?"

she looks scared I kneel down to her level

"sweetie what's wrong?"

she looked down at the ground

"I'm not supposed to say momma will get angry if she knew"

I raised an eyebrow

"what happened?"

"Daddy promised momma he loves her but whenever he was watching me he took to this woman's house and I had to sit and wait for him"

oh he was having an affair

"do not want to go baby?" she nods and I pick her up.

"okay why don't we go get something to eat and you can meet him latter" I say rubbing her back.

She nods into my shoulder. I put her back in the car

"let's get pizza"

I put her back into the car. I sigh, I thought she was going to be given to the perfect parents, the kind you see on TV but I guess there are truly no perfect families. I drive up to Pino's

"here we are best pizza ever" I say opening her car door

"Stephanie can you carry me?"

"yeah"

I pick her up. Being a mom is going to be my new work out. I walk in and see the bar filled with cops, the hostess seats us in the family section, we sit in a booth across from each other

"now what can I get you?" said the waitress

"medium pepperoni pizza and a coke for me Gabriella what do you want?"

"apple juice please"

the waitress smiled at her

"of course I will right back with that"

"so kiddo how are you feeling"

she shrugged

"better"

"good"

there is an awkward silence.

"here are your drinks and here sweetie something for you to color with"

She handed her a cup of crayons and paper

"thank you"

Gabriella smiled at her. My phone rings

"give me one minute you okay by yourself"

she nods and starts coloring. I walk over to a quiet sections

"Hello"

"Hey cupcake where are you?"

I sigh and tell him what happened.

"do you want me to come and eat with you guys"

"no we are going to eat and then I am taking her to my mom's she seems tired"

"do you want me to come over to your place so we can talk?"

no not really

"sure"

"okay cupcake I will see you soon"

"bye"

I sigh. I honestly have no idea what to do with him. I go to my daughter

"hey kiddo what are you drawling?"

"a flower"

I nod

"can I see?"

"no not until I'm done"

I nod

"why am I not living with you?"

"I only have a one bedroom but I am going to look for a bigger place"

she nodded

"I never had a grandma before mommy and daddy parents are dead"

this is getting more awkward

"well you do now kiddo"

"pizza is nice and hot" said the waitress.

Oh thank god, I know she's not doing it on purpose but she is making me feel guilty about giving her up. I put a piece on a plate for her

"careful its hot" I warn her.

We eat mainly in silence but its not awkward this time, we are just enjoying our food.

"ready to go?" I ask her

"I drew two pictures one for you and one for Ranger"

I laugh

"you really like him don't you?"

"he's perfect"

I used to think that to, the perfect mocha knight in black SUVs

"come on sweetie"

she hands we both picture. Wow is the first thought, one is a pink rose and the other is a blue one, there is so much detail I can't believe they were done by crayon

"Gabriella these are amazing"

she smiles

"that's what the teachers at my school told me"

I pay for our pizza and we walk out to the car

"I will give this to Ranger the next time I see him"

she smiles and gets into the car. My mother is already in the doorway when I pull up

"there you are" she says walking to my car,

I get out the door

"she's too little to up this late"

I roll my eyes

"come on sweetie its time for bed" she carries her into the house

"I'm going to put her to bed and then we are going to have a chat"

I sit in the kitchen waiting to be scalded.

"she's asleep why were you at Josephs so late?"

"I wasn't she was too scared to go in because it looks like her fathers mistresses house"

she sighed

"this wouldn't of happened if you just kept her"

and here it comes

"mom I am not in the mood for this"

"you had a child out of wedlock and then give it up for adoption, I offered to raise her as my own then but no you were to stubborn and now she scared of peoples houses"

I roll my eyes

"the phone have been ringing off the hook with people asking questions"

she put her head in her hands

"mom she's my daughter it was my choice"

I get up

"where are you going"

"I have to go talk to Joe"

"your going to need a nice strong to help you raise her and your relationship with Joseph is going nowhere"

"good bye mom"

I walk out of the house. Why does she always need to tell me how to live my life? I know she's my mother and that's her job but I vow I will never do that to Gabriella, she can date and do whatever she wants, if she wants to jump off the roof trying to fly so be it.

I sigh as I park at my building, I should have told Morelli we would talk about this another time, I am not in the mood. I slowly walk to the elevator, dragging my heels down the hall way. I unlock my door and see Morelli sitting on my coach watching the high lights of the game.

"hey" I say to him

"hey?" he stands up

"I find out you have a kid and all you say is hey"

"what do you want me to say?"

"how about I'm sorry for never telling you Joe"

"I didn't know her parents were going to die"

"you could have told me when you were pregnant with her and we could have"

"what?" I snapped

"get married tell everyone she's yours?"

"why not you said you don't even remember what the father looks like"

"she was in my body and I made the choice"

"why didn't you just abort her if you didn't want her?"

I slap him, hard in the face

"get out of my house"

he storms out with that. I sit down and cry. How could he say that? I love my daughter more than anyone could know that's why I gave her up, I have murders and lunatics after me everyday I wanted to keep her safe.

"oh Rex your sister will be home soon"

I can't let her stay with my mother for long, my mother will crush her spirits until she is exactly like her, I look at the drawings and decided to call Ranger

"Yo"

"Yo yourself I have a picture for you drawn by a little girl"

"why were you crying?"

I sigh how does he know me so well?

"my mom and Morelli"

"what did he say?"

"he wanted to know I didn't abort her"

there is silence for a while

"what did she draw me?"

I chuckle

"she drew two roses one for me and one for you but I'm not sure which one is yours"

"you should bring her to Rangeman tomorrow to meet the team"

I laugh

"are you doing to have little Rangeman clothes made for her"

"just need her measurements Babe"

"okay I well bring her by tomorrow"

"Babe"

"good night"

I hang up and smile. Time for some sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Stephanie

I groan as I roll out of bed. Time to shower and save my daughter from my mother. I have a quick shower put my hair uo into a pony tail and apply a little eye liner. I look in my kitchen, I guess I am going to have to go shopping and remember no mixing the olives and peanut butter anymore.

I feed Rex and leave. I hope mom is making pancakes today. It a sunny day out at least. I drive into the burg and park behind my moms car. Grandma is already at the door waiting for me.

"we got eggs and bacon"

I smile and walk into the house.

"Stephanie!" Gabriella jumped on me

"I am happy to see you too"

I kiss her forehead

"we have hot coffee" called mom from the kitchen

"we will eat and then head out" I say caring my daughter into the kitchen

"what are your plans for today?" mom asked

"Well Gabriella is going to see where I sometimes work"

I turn to my daughter

"your going to see Ranger"

she smiled. My mother placed breakfast on the table

"you know Betty Gosling daughter just got a job at the button factory I bet they are still hiring, they have health insurance"

Grandma snorted

"but that's lame plus she gets to shoot people"

Gabriella looked over at me

"you shoot people?"

nice going Grandma

"almost never"

I smile at her. She just eats. I stroke her hair. Her beautiful loose curls are so soft. I sip my coffee and finish my breakfast.

"okay let's go" I say taking her hand

"give Grandma a hug little miss" said my mother walking over to hug her

"bye Grandmas"

"see ya honey" said Grandma

"bye" I say walking out

"so we are going to see Ranger"

"we are going to his work were you can meet the rest of the team"

while the ones who like me at least. RangMan looks like an abandon brick building from the outside but inside it is highly cutting edge.

"okay here we go"

I park the car outside and actually let them buzz me in instead of just entering. I hold Gabriella's hand nada we arrive on the fourth floor, not surprised when a large group of the merry men are already waiting for us.

"she's so perfect" says Lester running over

"you are so cute" he says picking her up

"I'm Lester" he cooed at her

"you can call me Uncle Lester"

he kisses her head

"okay"

she smiles and give me a hug

"she's so cute can I keep her?"

I roll my eyes

"no you can't keep her"

he pouted fine

"hello sweetie I'm Hal"

Hal is a complete sweet heart but he gets teased because of his looks.

"Hi Hal"

a few others introduce themselves but Lester refuses to let anyone else hug her. I roll my eyes at him. Tank is the last introduce himself. I know the only reason Lester gave Gabrielle to him is because he didn't want Tank to kick his ass.

"I have something for you"

the man of few words gives my daughter a really big smile

"now Uncle Tank had these made for you"

he shifts her so she is steady on his hip

"what did get her?" I asked

"a few shirts a sweater"

"don't you all have work" said a stern voice.

"Ranger!"

Tank put her down and she ran into Ranger's arms

"hello I heard someone drew me a picture"

I laughed as everyone else coped them. They look so cute. I open up the bag and look at the items. All were black with the RangMan logo on them. I pull out one that said all boy beware protect my RangMan. I laughed hard, that made my day

"Babe?" asked Ranger,

I show him the shirt. He gave a smile

"cute"

"so it officially you all will flip a coin to see who gets to kill her first boyfriend"

he puts her down

"go play with your Uncles"

she smiles and goes to play with the men

"I need to talk to you"

"about what?"

"a job"

I raise an eyebrow

"I could use the money"

I sigh

"I was thinking something more permanent"

oh no I don't like where this is going

"Babe"

"please not you too you have a kid and you still work in the field"

"you can still work for Vinny and for me part time"

I sigh I could use more steady money since I have Gabriella

"fine but I still work for Vinny"

he nodded

"so do you know any places that are renting?"

he raised an eyebrow

"I need to get Gabriella out of my mother's house so I am going to need a bigger place"

he nodded

"I will look into it"

I over my daughter with the guys. Somehow this feels completely right.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Hey readers so sorry for the long delay I am going to try to update more. Here is just a little chapter for now. Thank you. **_

Ranger

I want to laugh as I see my men interacting with Gabriella she already has them around her little finger. Stephanie just smiles standing next to me

"you want to talk?"

she nods and follows me into my office

"is this about Morelli?"

she sighed

"its about everything, I can't keep this up with Morelli I don't know if I want to marry him and having an off and on again relationship now that I have my daughter is selfish I can't give her a father and then take him away because he is being a jerk"

I agree with her there.

"Don't get me started on my mother, I need to get her out before her only goal in life is to be a home maker"

"I can't see that happening if she is anything like you"

she smiles

"Stephanie, Ranger" Gabriella knocks at the door

"come in"

she runs in and climbs on to my lap

"I am the boss"

Stephanie laughs

"Ranger is the boss"

"with the way the men are acting I may be replaced"

she giggles. She is so cute I almost want to smile.

"so how did you escape from them?" I ask

"Tank helped" she said.

I nod

"we are going to my other work today" said Stephanie

"I am sure Vinnie will love that" I snort

"he will deal with it"

"I will see you two later?"

she raises an eyebrow

"I may already have a few places for you to look at"

she rolls her eyes

"you had everything planned before even came here"

"of course babe"

"I want a pink room" said Gabriella

"sure"

I pick her up as I go to stand up

"okay let's go see my other work"

I put Gabriella down

"good luck with that"

"bye Ranger" said Gabriella running out to of my office.

"call me if you need anything"

she nods

"of course"


	6. Chapter 6

Stephanie

"That was fun" said Gabriella as we leave RangeMan

"it was"

we get into the car and head to the bonds office. Lula spider since must be perking up because she is outside the office waiting for us.

"Aunt Lula" said Gabriella getting out of the car

"there's my baby"

they hugged

"let's go inside" I said opening the door for them.

"Hello there" said Connie standing up

"I'm Connie"

"I'm Gabriella"

she knelt down in front of Gabriella

"I know I heard a lot about you"

"you work with Stephanie?"

"Sure do sweetie"

"is he in?" I ask

"no he is at court"

I nod

"okay then" I say sitting on the couch

"so anything new?"

"No one has skipped bail yet"

I sigh, it's been a slow week though now that I have my daughter I should be happy about it.

"Mr fine ass cop is coming" said Lula looking out the window

"oh god hide me" I groan

"who's that?" asked Gabriella "no one sweetie" I say. Morelli enters the office.

"Hey" he says smiling.

I still want to punch him in the face after what he said about my daughter.

"You must be Gabriella" he said kneeling down to her

"you look like your mommy"

"thanks" she says leaning against my leg

"can we talk?" he asks me.

I nod

"stay here sweetie" I follow him out of the bonds office

"is there something you forgot to say to me?"

he sighed

"I'm sorry I never should have said that"

"no you shouldn't have"

"why didn't you tell me?"

"What would have happened Joe?"

"we could have kept her"

"what is done is done we can't keep looking to the past, I need to focus on my life and my daughter"

"agreed you need another job"

"I will be able to support my daughter just fine" I snapped

"you need something stable"

"okay this is none of your business anymore"

I walk away from him

"what?"

he grabs my arm

"we can't keep doing this off and on again I need to be there for my daughter"

"we can raise her together"

"do you honestly want to raise someone else's kid?"

"she's your daughter she is a part of your life and I love you"

I sigh

"I love you too but we are not good for each other, we are toxic for each other we are either extremely in love or at each other's throats and she does not deserve to go through that Joe, I am going to give her the best child I can by myself"

he looks me over

"good luck"

and walks away with that. I am so sick of having this fight with him. I hope he stays away this time.

"Well that was awkward" I say walking back into the office.

"yeah it didn't look too good" said Lula

"Yeah it was a bad angle I couldn't reach your lips" said Connie,

I roll my eyes at them

"So if there isn't any work Gabriella do you want to come with me to my house?"

"Sure that would be great"

She hops off the coach

"we need to go to the store first though and get a few things"

I also need to throw out the olives in my house. We get into the car and head to the store.

"Is that you Stephanie Plum?" said some old man.

"Do I know you?"

"No your grandmother and I do she has shown me your picture a few times names Walter Wilkson"

I nod and walk past him to get into the store

"Do you want to sit in the cart?"

She nods so I lift her in it.

"What would you like for lunch?"

"I do not know how about soup?"

"Chicken noodle or vegetable?"

"Chicken noodle please"

I also grab more bread and peanut butter and head to the cashier. We paid for the groceries and loaded them into the car to head to my small apartment on the edge of the Burg. I grab the bags and Gabriella follows me into the elevator. We get to my floor and enter my apartment.

"Home sweet home, I want you to meet someone. Rex, Rex Gabriella"

I introduce her to my hamster.

"awwe he is so cute"

"let's give him some food"

I put some food in his cage and changed his water.

"Okay you can go watch TV and make us some food"

she smiles goes into the living room

"I know Rex remember when she was in my stomach"

I rub my stomach sadly. Sigh no point dwelling on the past. I make us ham sandwiches and the chicken noodle soup. I put them in bowels and head into the living room

"Careful the soup is hot" I say putting the bowel on the coffee table

"Am I going to live here now?"

"well you will be living with me but not here we need a bigger"

She smiles and eater her sandwich. I eat my soup, we end up watching two back to back Star Trek episodes before Gabriella falls asleep. I smile and touch her head. I should put her in my bed. I carefully pick her up and carry her to my bed so she can sleep better.

I watch her for a little bit and then go back into the living room. So this is mother hood. I decide to let her sleep for two more hours before waking her up. My phone rings just when I am going to wake her up.

"Babe"

"Ranger"

"I have a few places I want to show you if you two are up for it?"

"sure Gabriella just having a nap but I am getting her up now"

"I will be there in ten minutes"

"okay see you soon"

I hang up the phone. I try shaking her but she doesn't wake up.

"Come on sleepy head Ranger is coming" I say hoping that will perk her up.

It does she groans as she rolls over

"okay"

I laugh I am the same way getting up. I walk into the living room and Ranger is already there

"I thought you said ten minutes?"

"You have been in there for fifteen minutes"

"oh"

"Ranger!"

Gabriella hugs his leg tightly

"Hello"

I smile

"okay so where are we looking?"

"Well I have a few places that fit you two perfectly fine"

He scoops Gabriella up.

"Okay"

We walk down to the parking lot and I am surprised to see he has a normal SUV. I look at him and point to the car

"given your history with my cars I decided to go with this car"

I nod and climb in.

"First place is a three bedroom, two bathroom house in the Burg"

"I didn't know anyone in the Burg was renting out their home"

I can see a small smile on his face.

"What?"

he didn't answer me. We arrive at the house, it looks like Morelli's but it does look extremely homie.

"Okay let's look"

I help Gabriella out of the car and head into the house.

"It also has a good size back yard and a basement"

I nod and look around

"all this furniture looks new"

"yes I believe it is and the furniture does come with the house"

I nod

"how much are they asking for?"

"Nothing"

"What?"

Then it clicked

"You bought this house?"

he nodded

"you bought me a house?"

"I bought a house it is up to you if you want it or not"

"and if I do not want it?"

he shrugged

"then one of my employees would probably want to use this house"

I should of seen this coming

"and the other two places you wish to show me?"

"Come lets go to the next one"

he takes Gabriella's hand

"Ranger!"

he ignores me.

"Okay the second place we are seeing is a two bedroom apartment near the Vinnie's"

We park in the parking lot. It is a brick building, doesn't look that different then my own.

"You would be on the fifth floor" he says getting into the elevator.

We get off the elevator

"You would be this one 55E"

I nod as he unlocks the door. We walk in, it is a big apartment, and it is also decorated extremely modern.

"There are two bathrooms"

I nod

"this is the master bedroom and this would be Gabriella's room"

"It's nice"

"and I have one more place to show you"

We head back to the car and drive

"RangeMan?" I ask as we pull up the building

"As you know one of my floors is just apartments for the employees and I have a two bedroom available for you"

"live here?"

he nodded

"high security"

"I really think you missed your calling as a real estate agent"

he ignored me

"you would be between Hector and Tank's apartment"

"I thought Tank has a house?"

"He uses this when he cannot go home"

I nod walking to apartment. It looks the same as the one we just looked at, the furniture is the same.

"There is an extra feature, I told them not too but when they heard you may move in they didn't listen to me"

I raised an eyebrow at him. He stopped at one of the doors and opened.

"wow" I say looking around.

They made the perfect little girl's room. The walls are white and so is all the furniture. A cute little white vanity and stuff animals on the bed, which is a white canopy bed with a bright yellow bed spread.

"This is really nice"

"I love it!" Said Gabriella jumping on the bed,

we leave her in the room.

"I guess we have a winner"

"it would be easier to have you live here while you work plus you would get a lot of free babysitting"

I laugh.

"It would be interesting"

"you don't want to live here?"

"No I think this is the best place for us, but I do want to pay rent"

"why you work here?"

"I know but I am an independent person"

"you will not pay rent, use the extra money you would save on rent to start a college fund"

I nod

"I have one for my daughter we should get you a meeting with my financial advisor"

I laugh

"let's not get ahead of ourselves, how soon can we move in?"

"now"

" I should go to my moms and get her stuff, plus I have all her RangeMan clothes at my place, same with all my clothes"

"Babe I will send some people over to get you stuff and get Rex"

"Can you watch her while I go talk to my mother"

he nods

"of course"

"Gabriella" I yell

"we are moving in here"

"yay"

she comes running out

"Thank you"

I pat her head

"No problem sweetie I need to get a few things from Grandma's so be good for Ranger"

"okay"

I kiss her forehead

"see you soon"


	7. Chapter 7

Stephanie

I drive to my parents' house deep in thought. I am going to be living with my daughter in RangMen. This is going to be interesting to say the least. I park and go into the house.

"hello where is Gabriella?" asks my mother

"at our new place"

she pauses

"your new place?"

"yes I found a home for my daughter and I to live"

"and where is this place?"

I take a deep breath

"we will be living in RangMen"

she crossed her arms

"you think raising a child there is a good idea?"

"she is my child and I will do what I believe to be right"

"or you can just let me raise her"

"no" I say

"I wouldn't let you raise her before I gave her up. I am not going to let you raise her now"

she huffed

"I can provide her a more stable life. You shoot people!"

"I hardly shoot people mom your starting to sound like Grandma"

she sighed

"so what? Your going to be raising her with Ranger? Why not Joseph?"

"because he and I are not a good couple at all. We would be fighting all the time. That is not an environment I want my daughter to be in. Also I am living in the building that Ranger owns he is not helping me raise Gabriella"

she sighs

"I will get her things ready there is coffee cake in the kitchen"

I go in the kitchen and cut myself some cake. I know this is the best thing for Gabriella but I am sad that I hurt my mother's feelings. She wanted Gabriella from the moment I told her I was pregnant. I didn't want to see my child being turned into a clone of my parents so I thought adoption would be the best thing. I should have just kept her.

"here we go"

she says walking back into the rom handing me a bag. I nod and get up from the table

"thanks mom"

"make sure to visit"

I nod

"I will"

I head to my car with that. At least that is over. I drive back to Rangmen.

"hey Stephanie" says Lester as I enter the building.

"I heard you and my baby are moving in. I couldn't be happier about it"

I laugh

"yeah she was very happy to see the room you guys did up for her"

he smiled

"good its perfect for her, do you need help?"

"no I think I have left Ranger alone with my daughter for too long"

he nodded.

"Good Luck"

"thank you"

I went into the elevator to the floor we are staying in. I passed by a few different men I am on friendly terms with. As I thought they are all excited to have a new little life living here.

"and that is why unicorns are the greatest means of transportation" I hear my daughter say.

"is that so?" asked Ranger

"it's a pure scientific fact"

I laugh as I enter the room. They look so cute together.

"Stephanie" Gabriella smiles at me.

"sorry I didn't mean to interrupt" I smile walking over and sitting on the couch

"babe?" asked Ranger.

I shook my head. Meaning I will tell him what happened later. I walk over to them and pick up my daughter and sit back down with her in my lap. I just want to hold her. I smell her hair. I know I made the right choice. I will never let her go again.


End file.
